Bring nature indoors with house plants. Use plants of different colors and textures to accent your home’s style and decor. Here are our top picks for October.  

Calathea

Calathea is a beautiful houseplant grown for its unique foliage. Calathea leaves come with a variety of markings, some have striped or spotted tops, with deep red or purple undersides. Others are variations of deep greens. 

These plants are a bit finicky when it comes to indoor conditions. For best results, keep your Calathea in a brightly lit space with high humidity. A bright bathroom or kitchen is ideal. Misting the leaves regularly can help provide proper moisture. 

Water your Calathea lightly every few days as the top of the soil starts to dry out. They prefer moist soil, but do not like to be wet or soggy. So lighter, more frequent waterings are best. 

Aglaonema

Aglaonema, also known as Chinese Evergreen, is one of the most popular houseplants. They are easy to care for and come in a variety of sizes and colors. 

A great rule of thumb when caring for these plants is the lighter the variegation the more light the plant needs. A plant with dark foliage will do much better in low light, while one with lighter foliage will need bright light. 

Aglaonemas like moist soil, so regular waterings are best. Keep your Chinese Evergreen away from windows and air vents, since they are sensitive to cooler temperatures. 

Peace Lily

Peace Lilies are low maintenance plants great for beginners. These plants have dark green foliage and will sprout white spathes, or waxy flowers, in the Spring. 

These plants do great in low lighting conditions like offices, or hallways and can even grow with just fluorescent light. If given too much light, the leaves will start to turn yellow.  

Water your Peace Lily about once a week. The leaves will start to droop when it’s thirsty, letting you know it’s time for water. 

Dracaena Marginata

Dracaena Marginatas are great tabletop plants. These trees have thick canes trimmed in dark green and red foliage. With the right conditions, these plants can get extremely tall. Some varieties can grow 18 inches a year!

Dracaena Marginatas prefers medium light. They will do well in low light but will grow much slower. Keep them away from direct sunlight. 

Water your Dracaena Marginata when the top half of the soil is dry. These plants are forgiving if you underwater them, but do not tolerate over-watering well. In low light, these plants can go weeks between waterings. Brown tips indicate too much water, while leaves dropping off frequently indicates too little water. Use room temperature water only. 

Wandering Jew

Wandering Jews are beautiful houseplants that are great as hanging baskets or trailing plants. Their deep purple and green leaves have a natural iridescent shimmer.  

Keep your Wandering Jew in bright indirect light. If they don’t get enough light the leaf markings will fade. 

Wandering Jews like moist soil. Check the soil often, especially during the winter, to make sure it doesn’t get too dry. When watering, lift the foliage to water the soil directly. If the foliage gets too wet the plant can develop rot on top. However, they do like a light leaf misting to help them stay moist. Trim trailing pieces a quarter of the way down to encourage growth and keep the plant full.   

For more watering tips watch out video House Plant Watering Tips. 

Visit any English Gardens location for more information on selecting and caring for your houseplants.